Effectiveness of a theory-based tailored mHealth physical activity intervention for women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer: A quasi-experimental study.
Zhaohui Geng, Jingting Wang, Weibo Lyu and 10 others
PMID 39830917WHAT IT FOUND
Women undergoing chemotherapy who used a theory-based app and text messages walked more and reported better physical quality of life than those receiving standard care alone.
Anxiety scores were lower in the app group, but the app did not improve social or functional well-being.
Key findings
01The intervention group showed increased walking and overall physical activity after three months, while the control group declined.
02Anxiety scores were significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group at the end of the study.
03Physical well-being improved in the intervention group, but social well-being decreased; the control group saw declines across most quality of life domains.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was quasi-experimental with no randomization or blinding, which weakens causal inference. The sample size was small (60 participants) and recruitment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical activity was measured by self-report (IPAQ-SF), which is less accurate than objective devices. The intervention combined an app with SMS, so it is unclear which component drove the effects. Follow-up was only three months, so long-term sustainability of behavior change is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests. The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other government bodies, which had no role in the study design, data collection, or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the app alone caused the improvements. The intervention combined app use with twice-weekly text messages and nurse-led monitoring, so the effect cannot be attributed to the software itself. Additionally, the lack of randomization means baseline differences or other factors could explain the results.